lalli



Feb. 3, 1931. LALL] 1,790,988

AEROPLANE Filed April 24, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet l BY a ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1931. 1,790,988

AEROPLANE Filed April 24, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 w 1 Q @u INVENTOR 4. 06.166

ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1931. LALLl 1,790,988

AEROPLANE Filed April 24, 1929 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNV NTOR BY 6; ATTORNEY E.LALL| AEROPLANE Feb. 3, 1931.

Filed April 24, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR f? G{CL4QQ' ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1931. E. LALLI 1,790,988

AEROPLANE Filed April 24, l929 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INV NTOR 4 25%- BY ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1931. E. LALLI 1,790,988

AEROPLANE Filed April 24, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INV NTOR AT 1 mm? E. LALLI AEROPLANE Feb. 3, 1931.

Filed April 24, 1929 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 A'I'I'ORN EY Z INV NTOR Patented Feb. 3, 193i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EUGENE LALLI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW You AEBOPLAKE Application filed April 24, 1959. Serial No. 357,713.

The present invention relates to improvethe wireless apparatus but which is so located ments in aeroplanes of the monoplane type. that. communication may be had with the One of the objects of the invention is to pilot of the aeroplane.

provide an aeroplane having a fuselage of Still a further object of the invention is to l stream-line shape to keep resistance to proprovide a pair of auxiliary aerofoils or wings 6| ress at a minimum, said fuselage having a which are pivotally connected with the fuseottom that is V-shaped in transverse crossla e on an axis parallel to'the longitudinal section to reduce resistance to speed movement axls of the said wings, so thatthe same serve through the water, said bottom being pronot only as auxiliary su porting surfaces but 10 vided with laterally extending or inclined also as ameans servmg, rst,to vary the angle 60 45 dow 'to admit light and air.

longitudinal fins which not only raise the of attack according to there uirements, secaeroplane out of water and diminish the ond, to restore the alance oft e aeroplane in amount of submerged surface but serve at the case its center of gravity changes, third,to obsame time to prevent rolling of the aeroplane tain an auxiliary rudder to control the flight in water. vertically, in case the main rudder is disabled, 6 Another ob'ect of the invention is to proand, fourth, to decrease the speed of the aerovide an aeroplane having a tractor-pro eller plane in landing. and one or more pusher-propellers, the atter A still further object of the invention is to rotating in bearings placed immediately upon provide the main abrofoils of the aeroplane $0 the top of the fuselage and working against with, auxiliary ailerons, which serve to ina step between the midship section and the crease the sustaining power of the aerofoils tail section of the fuselage, whereby the efand to Broperly balance the vessel.

ficiency of the said pusher-propellers is great A sti further object of the invention is to 1y increased and the resistance of the bearings provide a pair of searchlights on the fuselage to the air considerably decreased. which are adapted to be folded into the same, 7

A further object of the invention is to prowhen not in use, so as not to ofier resistance vide an aeroplane which uses the sustaining to the air. lift of li hter-than-air gases, the fuselage be- With these and other objects in view, ing divi ed into a large number of compartwhich will more fully appear as the nature ments, some of which receive as bags. of the inventionis better understood, the 80 A still further object of t e invention is same consists in the combination, arrangeto so mount the several motors of the aeroment and construction of parts hereinafter lane in cockpits of the fuselage that convendescribed, pointed out in the appended claims rent access may be had thereto or attendance, and illustrated in the accompanying drawrepair, etc.,while in flight. ings, it bein understood that many. changes 85 A further object of the invention is to promay be ma e in the size and roportion of vide a passenger accommodating cabin-in the the several parts and details 0? construction midship section of the fuselagp consisting of within the scope of the appended claims, two chambers, between whic are disposed without departing from .the spirit or sacri- 40 some of the as bags above referred to, and ficing any of the advantages of the invenwhich cham rs are properly connected so tion. vthat the passengers may conveniently pass On of the many possible embodiments of from oneof same into t e other, said chamthe in ention is illustratedin the accompanyberskbeingeach provided with. suitable winingdrawings, in which Y I igure 1 is a perspectiveview of an aero- A still further obJeet of the invention is to plane constructed in accordance with the provide in the fusela e acompartment for the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation wireless 0 rator o e the vessel, which comthereof 3 is a rear elevation of the pertinent is properly isolatedsothat exterior same E ig. is a plan view of the same, cer

noises do not interfere with the operation of tain parts being removed in order to-more clearly show the construction; Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fi 4; Fi 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fi 4; i 7 is a section taken on line 77 of Fig. 4; ig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Figs. 9 to 19, inclusive, are sections taken in their order on lines 99, 1010, 1111,

1818 and 19--19 of Fig. 5; Fi 20 is a section taken on line 2020 of Fig. 7, on a larger scale; Fig. 21 is a diagrammatic view of means for actuating the auxiliary ailerons; Fig. 22 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the actuating lever, shown in Fig. 21; Fig. 23 is a longitudinal section taken through the device shown in Fig. 22; Fig. 24 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the actuating means for the auxiliary aerofoils; Fig. 25 is a front elevation, on a larger scale, of the connecting means between the auxiliary aerofoils shown in Fig. 24 and the actuating means therefor; Fig. 26 is a top plan view, partly in section, of one of the searchlights; Fig. 27 is a diagrammatic view of the actuating means for the said searchlight; and Fig. 28 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of a joint between the elements of the frame of the fuselage.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 30 indicates the fuselage of the aeroplane, which is preferabl formed of tubing. In the construction 0 the fuselage the longitudinal frame members 31 are connected and braced bvupright and transverse struts 32 and 33, respectively, located at substantially e uidistant points or at such points as may be ound desirable for obtaining the greatest strength and efliciency. The longitudinal frame members, u right and transverse struts are connected ytubular jOiIlts 34 (Fig. 28), which are provided with brackets 35, preferably made integral therewith. Each of these brackets is provided with an aperture 36, to receive the ends of diagonally disposed stay-wires 37. The fuselage is provided with a covering 38 of any suitable type.

The fuselage includes a bow rtion 39, a midship section 40 and a tail section 41. The bow portion is pointed, as usual in constructions of this type, and the bottom of both the bow and midship sections is V-shaped in transverse cross-section, as shown in Figs. 9 to 14, inclusive, of the drawings' The front end of the tail section, where it joins the midship section, has also a bottom' of V-shape, as shown in Fig. 15 of the drawings. Generall the fuselage has a stream-line shape intended to avoid eddying and discontinuity, and to preserve stream-line flow, thus kee ing resistance to progress at a minimum. he V-shaped bottom has a similar effect both in the air and when the vessel is roceeding in water. In order to increase t e stability of the fuseof th la'geboth in air and in water, longitudinal fins 42 are formed on the fuselage along the bottom. These fins not only raise the aeroplane out of water and diminish the amount of submerged surface, but serve at the same time to prevent rolling of the aeroplane in water.

It will be noted that in the present disclosure the invention is applied to an aeroplane of the passenger-carrying type. For this purpose there is formed in the midship section of t e fuselage a cabin 43 which, in height, occu ies only one-half of the midshi section of the fuselage %see Figs. 12 an 13). This cabin extends rom the section 12-12 rearwards to the tail section of the fuselage and is in horizontal section substantially U-shaped, it including two longitudinal chambers 44, connected in the rear by a transverse passage 45. In each cha-mher Is provided a row of seats 46, said seats extending along the longitudinal Walls of the fuselage, which walls are rovided with windows 47 to admit air and ight. The passengers may ass from one chamber through the transverse passage 45, in which are situated lavatories 48. Access may be had to the cabin through doors 49.

Forward of the cabin is disposed a compartment 50 for the wireless operator of the: aeroflane, and in front of this compartment is a riving compartment 51 containing seats 52 and 53 for the pilot and mechanic. In the last-mentioned compartment are also positioned the several control mechanisms of the vessel. Communication may be had between compartments 50 and 51 through a window, not shown.

Forward of the driving compartment is located in a cockpit 54, in which is disposed. a power plant 55 for operating a propeller 56, which is of the'tractor type. In rear of the cabin is located an engme room 57, containing a plurality of power plants 58, in t e present case three, each of which is adapte to actuate a propeller 59 of the pusher fts of these propellers are ournaled in bearings 60, which are mounted on top of the midship section of the fuselage, said ropellers being disposed in rear of the mids if) section which is provided with a vertica end wall 61, constitutin a step between the midship section and t e tail section of the fuselage. The height of the tail section is substantially one-half of the height of the midship section. Due to this arrangement the bearings 60 may be disposed directly on top of the midship section and thereby offer little resistance to the air, in contradistinction to the constructions heretofore in use in which the pusher type propellets are usually mounted above. the top e midship section and, cons uently, in bearings which rise a substanti distance above t e said top. I

to the other iso Inasmuch as the cockpit 54 and engine compartment 57 contain the power plants, it is obvious that the engineers who attend to these power plants may operate the same and also are capable of making repairs without stepping outside of the fuselage. The engineers may freelyv go baeknl nd forth from the cockpit to the engine compartment.

.'Between the chambers 44 and also below the cabin, and also in the tail section of the fuselage are provided compartments 62, in which may be disposed bags or other containers holding lighter-than-air gases, for increasing the carrying capacity of the vessel. If necessary, these bags or containers may hold combustible gases for the operation of the power plants, which are usuallyin the form of internal combustion engines. Gasoline orother liquid hydrocarbon fuel for the operation-of the said engines may be stored in tanks 63 which are disposed above the passenger carrying cabin, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, and also below the same as indicated in Fig. 11. Lubricating material may be stored in one or more tanks 64, located below the drivers compartment.

In constructing the aeroplane in accordance with the present invention, an aerofoil or wing 65 is disposed on each side of the midship section of the fuselage. This wing is of the internal trussed-or of the deeplcantilever.

type, commonly used in monoplane constructions, and is supported from and connected to the fuselage by the usual struts 66. It is'provi ded with ailerons 67 of the usual type and for the well-known purpose. In addition to these ailerons, there are provided adjacent the leading edge of the aerofoil auxiliary ailerons 68. These are hinged at 69 along their leading'ed ges to the under-face of the aerofoil, one on each side of the fuselage. Each of these auxiliary ailerons is connected by a link 70 (Fig. 21) with a bell-crank lever 71, which is'fulerumed at 72 to the aerofoil and connected by a cable 73 with a lever 74, that is fulerurned at 75 to a 7., the latter being rotatably mounted in bearings 78 within the driving compartment- The lever 74 extends through slots.7 9 in the tube 77 (Figs. '22 and 23). Assuming that the elements are in the positions shown in full lines 2170f the drawings, in which theauxiliag'ry ailerons 68 are flush withthe underface of the aerofoil, it is obvious that the said auxiliaryailerons have no function at all. If the sustaining power of tige arofoil isto be increased, the .operating lever 74 is shifted into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 21 of the drawings, whereby the auxiliary aileron is brought into the position shown in dotted lines iii Fig. 21 of the.'drawir.gs.- On the other hand if only one of theseauxiliary ailerons is to be shifted out of the aerofoil, theh-il'ver 74 is swung sideways so as to rotate the tube 7 7' in The cables run .over sheaves 765 the bearings 78. In doing this, obviously a pull is exerted on one of the cables 73, which causes the corresponding auxiliary aileron to project out of the aerofoil. This is done in case the balance of the aeroplane is to be restored. r v,

In front of and below the aerofoil is pivoted at 80 to thefuselage an auxiliary aerofoil 81, having asustaining surface considerably smaller than that of the aerofoil 65. The pivot 80 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the aerofoil 81 (Fig. 24), sothat the angle of incidence of the aerofoil may be varied according to the requirements. For

thepurpose of actuating the aerofoil 81, the

latter is connected-b a universal joint 82, shown in detail in F 1g. 25'of the drawings, with an actuating rod 83' which extends into the drivers compartment 51, .where it has mounted thereon a control wheel 84. One of the'purposes of the auxiliary aerofoil is to increase the sustaining surface of the aeroplane. Another purpose is to vary the angle of attack of the aeroplane according to the requirements by changing the angle of incidence of the auxiliary aerofoil. A further purpose of this auxiliary aerofoil is to balance, the aeroplane in case the center of gravity thereof changes either by loading the same or as the load shifts thereon. Still a further purpose of this auxiliary aerofoil is to constitute a rudder for steering the aeroplane in a vertical plane in case the main rudder of the vessel is disabled. This main rudder is indicated in the drawings by-the numeral 85, and the rudders which steer the vessel in a horizontal plane are denoted by the numeral 86. A still further purpose of the auxiliary aerofoil is to decrease the speed of the aeroplane in landing.

On top of the fuselage, and more particularly adjacent the bow portion, thereof. are provided two headlights 87. Two searchlights 88 are mounted on the sides of the fuselage in the bow portion ofthe device (Figs. 1, 26 and 27). Each of these searchlights is pivoted at 89 to a stationary part of the fuselage ig. 26) and the pivot pin has fixed to it a crank 90 (Fig.- 27), which is connectedby a cable 91 with an actuating lever 92, the latter being disposed in the driving compartment 51 0f the vessel.; The s earchlights 88 are normally each disposed ina pocket. 93 in the fuselage, as shown in full lines in Fig. 26 of the drawings. If these searchlights-are to be made use of, that is to say if they are to project a beam of lightin the direction of flight, the lever 92 is shifted from the position shown in Fig. 27

of the drawings forward,- whereby the searchlights 88 are swung into the dotted position shown in Fig. 26 of the drawings.

Some of the compartments of the fuselage may be psed forstoring baggage, forenstance the compartments 94 shown in Fig.

cdmpartment and into a power plant con i taining cockpit.'

2. An aeroplane comprising a fuselage, a main supporting surface disposed as a single wing on each'side of said fuselage, an

auxiliary supporting surface pivoted to said fuselage, and means adapted to be operated from within said fuselage for varying the angle of incidence of said auxiliary supporting surface, said auxiliary supporting surface being wholly disposed in front of and below said main supporting surface.

3. An aerofoil for aeroplanes having a leading and a trailing edge, main ailerons at the trailing edge of said aerofoil, and two auxiliary ailerons adjacent the leading edge of said aerofoil, and a single means for actuating, at will, both or either one of said auxiliary ailerons.

4. A chambered aerofoil for aeroplanes having a leading edge and a trailing edge, main ailerons at the trailing edge of said aerofoil, two auxiliary ailerons on the underface of said aerofoil adjacent the leading edge thereof, said auxiliary ailerons being normally flush with the underface of said aerofoil, and a single means for extending, at will, both or either one of said auxiliary ailerons at an angle to the underface of said aerofoil. v

5. An aeroplane comprising a fuselage including a how, a midship section and a tail section, the bottom of said tail section forming a continuation of the bottom of said midship section and theheight of said tail section at the, point of juncture with the midship section being substantially less than the height of said midship section, said midship section including a power plant containing compartment immediately in front of said 55 tail section and below the top of said midship section, propeller shafts pro ecting from the rear of said midship section, and a ropeller on each shaft in rear of said midship section and above said tail section.

6. An aeroplane comprising afuselage including a bow, a midship section and a tail section, the midship section includlng the power plant containing compartment n its rear end portion, and said bow including a 65 power plant containingcockpit, said power plant containing compartment and said power lant containing cockpit being connected y an intercommunicating passage.

Si .ed at New York city, in the county of New ork, and State of New York, this 23rd day vof April A. D. 1929.

EUGENE ALLI. 

